The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-02-23
COLORADO SNOW BANKS.
TRACES OF GLACIAL ACTION FOUND
ALONG THE WATERWAYS.

Mountains is Supposed to Last-Frost
Never Out Of the Ground.
"How often is the snow renewed on the tops
Of the mountains in COlorado!7 asked re-
porter of a pioneer Coloradoan, Mr.. William
N. Byers, who has observed the face of nature
in the Rockies for many years
"Well," said he, that is gigantic question
which Hayden asked himself years ago, but
utterly failed TO answer. Some persons think
the snow is renewed on the mountains here
every two years, but doubt it greatly, and
after all it Is a matter of the merest con-
lecture. We can only Use our powers Of OBJ
servatiOn and draw our differences from the
most practical reasons at hand. You have
heard, of course, that the main difference ex-
isting between our mountains and those Of
the old world lies in the fact that there
glaciers abound, whereas are free from
those terrible anathemas OF ice and snow
But there are plentiful traces of glacial
action at the head OF the Arkansas river and
about Lake creek, in the neishborhOOd of
Twin lakes, and on both sides of the Arkansas
valley. These traces are remarkable
feature of the rocks. They are called
mOraines. The rocks are scored in places
along the foot of the mountains, and the
pushing out of mOraines into the Arkansas is
observed.
another remarkable instance is seen in the
region of Grand lake, in Middle park in the
scoring Of the rocks in the terminal and
lateral mOraines. Nearly all these lakes are
the result of glacial action. In every rayine
in the glacial period there were rivers of ice
As the ravines unite the ice rivers accumulate
in the passage down the ravines, and are mul-
tiplied in junction with other ravines until
they become plows of Ice. These plovs push
both to the right and to the left but the
greater portion is pushed on in front, and Is
called terminal mOraine. The masses pushed
out at the sides are known as lateral
mOralnes.
NATURES OWN SNOW PLOw.
This is like a pillow with a double share
turning furrow both right and left The
effect on the unbrokeu rock Is TO scour and
polish it, and to score it into grooves, sweep
ing everything movable before it, depo,iting
all this moving matter at its sides and
directly i'll front. When the glacial period
ended and the temperature of this part of the
earth changed it left these rivers Of ice pro
jectIng down into the plains at the mouth of
the gorge, penetrating the surface of the
earth to more less depth, and running
through until they gradually melted away
Thus were formed most of our mountain
lakes, such Twin, Grand and Black |
once counted from the summit OF Longs
peak thlrty-five lakes, some of which ara
covered with ice all the year through.
The snow probably remains for genera
tiOns centuries i'll many OF the SHOW fields
which yet exist i'll the Rocky mountains. l
think it is possible that the snow melts under
meath and Is replaced 1t is safe to say there
are 10 living glaciers now III this portion of
the Rocky mountains. There is, however a
slow, hardly perceptibIe motion of the snow
fields down hill.
Frost ha, been found in many of the
mines III the high mountains above timber
line at great depth. Ia the North Star mime
near HOO>ler pass, frost was found tat depth
of l4S feet. The great extent of plateau
country causes the high temperature of the
mountain ranges, and is the cause of the
SNOW melting off, in direct contrast to tine
mountains of Switzerland or those of the sea
coast. The mountains of the sea coast have
a low snow line, and it is this which causes
glaciers. Along the Alaskan coast the
glaciers are pushing out into the sea.
As for the mountains here, they are much
like those of the HimaIaya range in Asia
having the same high SNOW line. This Is
another argument i'll favor OF Colorado. The
high snow line insures n dry, bracing tonic
climate.
The snow fields worthy of mention which
last all the year around are situated between
Longs peak and Middle park These re-
main during the summer. L have often Oh
Middle park. 1t moves them every winter
This motion is not great. In fact, it IS SO
slow as to be almost imperceptible Snow
slides are very common III Colorado. and
most common in the San Juan, near the
main range. They occur every year. and
frequently when snow falls to any extent.
LOSS OF HUMAN LIFE.
MANY lives are lost in snow slides because
people who become indifferent TO danger
rhFpuDh viii IN
on building houses in the wrong location
When snow begins in the mountains it often
falls twenty, thirty forty feet and so
covers up the old snow. The ground i frozen
The frost never comes out of the ground
When we dig there always find the earth
frozen 1t may be that the snow gradually
melts away. but as | said before, nobody
knows anything about it positively. 1t is a
mere matter of conf lecture. There are places
in the mountains where l don't think the
snow ever meIts. don't believe there is any
spot where timber grows that snow doesn't
melt If the snow had not melted the tim
Der never could have grown Above timber
growth perpetual shade cannot exist except
under ledge of rock. The sun get, around
everywhere in the summer time
lit is estimated, said State Engineer Net
Teton TO the reporter later, that sixty inches
of water fall annually the eastern slope of
and rain, 50 per cent. of this falls during the
winter and spring months That which falls
late in the autumn and early in the winter is
most available for irrigation, as IL becomes
solid, almost ike Ice, and melts slowly under
the summers sun, dtfOrdlng steady flow
through the irrigatIng season. Shows fall
ing in late spring melt rapidly, and the wa
tiers run down the rivers unused Although
about nifty mountain peaks in Colorado reach
an elevation of over II UOO feet, Yet the snow
nearly all disappears every season, small
quantities remaining only in patches here and
there. On this account there are at present
glaciers in the Rocky mountains. The
cold mountains cOndense the moisture in the
country ad jacsnt, thereby robbing the plains
OF their quota of moisture.
Hence the necessity for irrigation. 1t Is
quite easy TO fOretell the probable amount of
water for irrigation purposes for the coming
season by watching the amount or snowfall
In the mountains
Farmers living from twenty 10 thirty
miles from the mountains, or where they can